Bagels are ring-shaped rolls with a tough, chewy texture. They are prepared by first boiling and then baking a kneaded and proofed bread dough.
Bagels have become a universal food, and automated, commercial scale machines for cooking them in large quantities are in widespread use. However, comparable bagel cooking devices suitable for home use are not available. Instead, the cook has to boil the bagels in a pan of water, remove and drain the boiled bagels, transfer the drained bagels to a baking sheet, and then bake the bagels. In this age of bread and pasta makers and other automated appliances, many find the above-described, conventional technique for cooking bagels onerous if not totally unsatisfactory.